


Like Minded

by Radar1388



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Humor, One Shot Collection, Romance, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:40:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24432226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Radar1388/pseuds/Radar1388
Summary: "We have a bond, remember?" At the time when Robin said this, neither of them knew just how literal that was.Collection of one-shots that take place right after 'The End: Part III'. It follows the eventual romance between Raven and Robin, as well as a bond that neither of them were expecting.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Raven, Robin/Raven
Comments: 4
Kudos: 48





	1. Light

**Author's Note:**

> You can consider these one-shots to be chapters as they'll interconnect into season 5. However, you can also read them all as standalones, unless otherwise specified.
> 
> Also, I do something called one-word one-shots. Meaning, if you give me a single word, I'll turn it into a one-shot.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Trigon had been defeated. Her father no longer had any hold over her. She was finally free…Or at least she should be.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she whispered tensely, eyes closed and levitating a few inches above her bed. She would've preferred to do so over her meditation circle, but she was tired, confused, and wanted something soft to land on should she lose focus.

Her three-word chant was once a peaceful and safe repetition. It now felt like a burden, a necessity that she had expected to overcome, but couldn't.

She gave a frustrated huff and gritted her teeth.

Somewhere, in a corner of her room, a jar holding one of her many candles exploded. The glass shards pierced the wax to pieces, sending it all crumbling to the floor. Wincing, Raven cracked an eye open. Thankfully, the candle was unlit. Cleaning up glass and wax was one thing, but cleaning up and repairing fire damage was another. She would clean up the remains and buy a new one, once she centered herself.

Sighing harshly through her nose, she closed her eyes again. Forcing herself to relax clearly wasn't working, and her chant wasn't currently soothing. Instead of focusing on words or thoughts, she tried focusing on her senses instead.

The stillness of her room, the scent of the midnight air coming in through a cracked window, the breeze that brushed over her aching muscles. Inhaling more deeply, she focused on that. She tried to let her mind rest, and to allow her body to start healing itself.

Her shift in focus worked as well as it could've. Her mind now felt nearly neutral, and she could feel her energy ghosting purposefully through her nerve endings. There would be no immediate change; her body was too exhausted to quickly heal any bruises, stiffness, or fatigue. The next few days she would more than likely spend in her room, resting and meditating.

She drifted down and didn't open her eyes until she felt her comforter beneath her. She now chose to stare at one of her walls, seemingly at nothing in particular, definitely not ignoring anything. The broken candle would beg to differ, as she could practically feel it glaring at her from its shattered position on the floor.

Quickly, she turned her attention away from her room – and the candle – and raised one of her hands. She willed her magic to her fingertips. The familiar darkness incased her, dancing and swirling over her skin, waiting to be commanded. She let it flicker and fade away as her hand fell onto her lap.

With a small irate growl, she shook her head resignedly. She swung her legs off the bed and made her way across the room to finally face the matter. She inspected the remains, trying to discern what brand it was to eventually get a replacement. Unfortunately, it was old, one of a kind, laced with a hint of now fading magic, and would have to be remade from scratch should she want to use it again.

She levitated the glass and wax into the small garbage bin near her vanity. She hadn't used that particular candle in ages. If the time came where she wanted to use it, she would remake it then. Still, she couldn't help but stare despairingly at the bin.

It made no sense. She was expecting her powers to feel more balanced, more in control. However…

There was no change whatsoever. Nothing worse, nothing better. They were still as volatile as they ever were.

She knew she could handle it, of course. Nothing had changed, which meant maintaining her powers would still be routine. However, she had hoped for more control, to feel more ease of mind that she wouldn't accidentally destroy or hurt anything. She had hoped that now that the apocalypse was over, things would be different.

She sighed, gave the bin a final look, and returned to her bed.

Her hopes were clearly dashed.

\-------

Robin stared at the ceiling. He should be sleeping like a rock, but for some reason, he was tense. He tossed and turned for what felt like hours. Finally, he kicked the covers away, got up, and left his room.

He didn't bother to turn on any lights. The tower was dark and silent, but not stifling. It was another calm night. A stark contrast to the dark day they'd all had.

During the times when Robin couldn't sleep for whatever reason, he took a walk through the tower. He told himself it was to get in a last little bit of exercise before calling it a night. While that was partially true, it was mostly to give himself peace of mind, to know that their home was safe, though it was unnecessary more often than not.

Raven saved the entire world. She turned everything back to normal. He doubted that there was a hair out of place anywhere.

Still, it was routine on nights like this to do a sweep of everything, to ensure all was well. It wasn't a trust issue at all. Quite the contrary. She was one of the most trustworthy people he knew. It was just a habit he'd developed over the years. Plus, it might help him get to the bottom of this uneasy feeling.

He eventually made his way to the living room to inspect one of the tower's many pin pads on the wall. He nodded once, assured that their security system currently displayed no faults, and walked out into the hallway.

Eventually, he was approaching a bend that would lead to one of his teammate's bedrooms. Raven's. He crossed his arms, feeling the tension go in and out like a wave. Tumultuous.

He stopped, shook his head, and turned around.

He made his way to the evidence room and did his usual tally to make sure every item was accounted for. He would now have to do the same for the boxes they stored in the basement. Once again, he almost passed Raven's room, as that would be the fastest route. Instead, he went down a corridor and turned, essentially making a wide U to avoid her part of the tower.

Raven was empathic. Though she didn't make a habit of purposefully reading other's emotions, Robin didn't want to accidentally disturb her. He didn't know why he was feeling so tense, and he didn't want Raven to pick up on it and wake up. Tonight, out of all of them, Raven was the one who needed rest the most.

After doing a count of their storage boxes and finding nothing out of place, he sat on the basement stairs. The basement tended to be the quietest place in the tower, besides the rooftop. It was sometimes the perfect place to think. He sat there, trying to make sense of his thoughts. No, not his thoughts. His mind felt rather calm, but he felt physically uptight, and he still couldn't explain why.

A dull clanging echoed when he gripped the metal handrail to haul himself back to his feet. He walked back up the steps and shut the door behind him. Now that he'd made his rounds, maybe he could get some sleep, and maybe sleep would get rid of this feeling. He was cracking his knuckles and flexing his shoulders in an effort to work out the tension when he realized where he was. He stopped right in front of Raven's door.

How did he keep ending up here tonight?

He flashed the door an apologetic look and was about to swiftly turn away when he heard shuffling coming from within. His brows scrunched. It was normal for him to be without sleep on a regular basis, but not his teammates. Especially Raven, especially tonight.

He raised his fist, then lowered it. It was doubtful that she'd want to be disturbed. However, when he heard what sounded like glass being shuffled around followed by silence, his concern grew and the anxiety he'd been feeling all night grew stronger as well.

He raised his fist and knocked.

For a few seconds, there was nothing but more silence.

Then, Raven's door slid open, not just a crack like normal, but all the way. He immediately noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the slight sag in her shoulders. She also wasn't wearing her cloak, just her leotard, which was once again black instead of white, and her hair once again trimmed.

"What," Raven asked.

Robin's brow rose slightly. The tone in that singular word didn't have its usual anti-social bite, nor could it be considered soft. It was simply a question.

"Look, I…" He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to figure out where to start. "I know it's been one hell of a day-" He mentally scolded himself at the unintentional pun. "-And you probably don't wanna see anyone, but I just – Well…I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Raven tilted her head curiously. "We just beat Trigon. I'm finally free of him. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Robin couldn't help but analyze her tone again. She wasn't being short with him. She sounded calm and neutral, with a hint of exhaustion tied in. She was clearly tired, but not at all annoyed.

"Right, yeah, sorry," he said quietly. He gave her a small smile. "Goodnight, Rae." He started to turn away.

"Couldn't sleep?"

He swiveled to face her again. He sighed. "Not a wink."

"Me neither," Raven shook her head. She glanced out into the hallway. "Midnight stroll?"

"How'd you guess?"

"When you're in one of your moods, you always pace the tower. You're not always quiet about it," she said with a half-smirk. "So, what is it this time?" Her smirk fell. "It's about today, isn't it?"

He shook his head. "Actually, no. It may be part of it, I guess. But that's not it."

Raven sighed silently. Though everything turned out okay, it would be easy for Robin to dwell on today's events. It was a relief to hear it genuinely didn't sound like that was the case. She hummed thoughtfully. "So, what is it, then?"

"There's the thing. I don't know. It's…" Robin scratched the back of his neck. He was about to elaborate when he realized something. His concern for her was still there, but he didn't feel tense anymore, as if a weight had mysteriously lifted. All he felt now was tired.

Raven raised a brow at him.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Robin said after a minute. "Hmm, weird," he muttered aloud. "Maybe I just needed to walk around and cure some boredom? I don't know." He looked at her again. "What about you?"

"Meditation didn't work tonight," she said. "And I can't get to sleep. So I'm doing some reading."

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to interrupt."

She shook her head. "Stop apologizing. I'm not too focused on it anyway. I was in the process of rereading the same page for the umpteenth time when you knocked."

"All the same, I'll leave you to it."

"Heading back to bed?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "Maybe walk around some more, try and figure out…" He trailed off.

Raven raised her eyebrow again.

Robin shook his head. "It's not important. Just me over-thinking things."

"At least you acknowledge your quirks."

He smirked and rolled his eyes. "Anyway, why do you ask?"

Raven sidestepped revealing more of her doorway. Robin blinked, definitely not expecting that, and totally unsure of how to respond.

Raven took in the sheer confusion and hesitation on his face. "There's no sense in tiring yourself out further by wandering aimlessly through the tower," she said, as if her suggestion was obvious and normal.

"You sure," he asked. "Last I checked, no one goes in your room."

"And here I thought the detective in you would be dying to enter," Raven drawled.

"My brain is too tired and doesn't wanna be in detective mode right now," he chuckled. His face grew serious again. "I don't wanna invade your privacy."

"An invitation is hardly an invasion." She crossed her arms. "And you came in here anyway when you took my spell books to make that safe-room for me."

Robin raised his hands up in defense. "Hey, don't look at me. Beast Boy and Starfire jumped the gun and took those books before we could even think about stopping them."

"Sure," she rolled her eyes, a grin playing on her lips. "You coming in or not?"

He glanced at her doorway, then at her face. He was waiting to see if she was bluffing. When she continued to remain impassive, he nodded once and stepped forward.

He'd seen what her room looks like from her doorway, and had also helped do repairs on it when the tower was attacked on occasion. However, this was the first time he'd ever been casually invited inside.

"Make yourself at home," Raven said. She walked quietly passed Robin to grab the book from her nightstand, and sat down on her bed.

Robin shifted on his feet a little, unsure of what to do next. Why was he even here? _Because Raven let you in_ , he told himself. But why? Raven had the biggest day out of all of them. He can't imagine how physically and emotionally drained she must feel. He should be giving her her space. And yet…

She turned another page of her book.

Raven didn't seem eager to rest, and she didn't seem to want alone time at present, otherwise she wouldn't have let him in. At the same time, she didn't feel the need to interact with him. If Robin were any other person, he would think that she was deliberately ignoring him. He knew her better than that. He knew that Raven didn't need to make conversation to be social with anyone. Sometimes, simply coexisting with a person _was_ her way of being social.

For some reason, tonight, in her room, she wanted company. His company. That thought alone made him feel light.

He half-expected her to watch him like a hawk, to make sure he wouldn't mess with anything. That was why he'd yet to move from where he stood near her door. She turned another page, and she shifted herself to lean back against one of her pillows. Not once did she look up from her book.

By allowing him into her room, she trusted him to be in her personal space. By not feeling the need to keep an eye on him while in her room, she trusted him, period. He couldn't help but smile, feeling even lighter.

He let himself relax some and started walking the perimeter of the room, taking his time as he observed everything in detail for the first time. Her room didn't have a switch to turn on a bright ceiling light, which should've made things difficult to see. There were a few wrought-iron lanterns hanging from the ceiling instead, and his eyes gradually adjusted with that dim light.

Everything was immaculate, from the lack of dust, to the softness of the carpet, to the way certain artifacts and items were arranged on their shelves. The only thing that was messy was the garbage bin next to her vanity. There appeared to be the broken remains of a candle within it. That must've been what he heard earlier, her sweeping up broken glass.

He stopped himself from asking her what happened. It would've been a stupid question. Raven took such good care of her things. Only two things could damage her own belongings; someone other than herself, or her own powers.

He glanced at her, then back down at the bin. It was understandable. One minute she was bringing about the end world, the next she was stopping it. He would be more surprised if she wasn't feeling emotional.

He wanted to ask her out of concern, but he didn't even know what he'd ask. _How are you feeling? Do you wanna talk about? Is there anything I can do to help?_ All those questions sounded redundant. If Raven wanted to talk about any of it, she already would've.

Would she? She wasn't exactly an open book when it came to her emotions. However, with how private she was, it would probably do neither of them any good if he started prying in any way.

He shook his head and continued. The bookcase was the only other thing that couldn't be considered tidy. The shelves were stuffed full. Most books were neatly upright, whereas others were stacked on top of each other or just plain crooked. He read some of the titles on the spines. Some he recognized, but many he didn't know or were in languages he'd never seen.

At some point, Raven placed her book on her lap to observe him. Robin was strolling around her room, taking his time looking at everything. She should feel agitated that someone was in her room looking at all her belongings. However, she did invite him in. She wasn't a hundred percent sure why she'd suddenly decided to do so. But while talking in the hallway, she began feeling less and less frustrated at her powers and herself. Asking him to come in didn't seem unnatural in any way.

She continued to watch him with curiosity. The same curiosity he currently had as he took everything in. He occasionally leaned down to inspect something on a desk, or stood on his tiptoes to inspect a high shelf. His arms were crossed behind his back the entire time, a seemingly casual gesture.

As Robin looked at her books, his hands twitched and flexed a little, as if to reach out. But his arms stayed where they were, never deviating. Raven smiled slightly, appreciative that he was striving to respect her personal space. Of course, she didn't expect anything less, given how much he's always understood her.

"If you want to look at those books," she said, speaking up for the first time in a while, making his head whip around to face her. "Go right ahead." She lifted her book off her lap to continue reading. "But if a book won't open, there's probably a reason, so don't force it."

"I've never seen some of these. Especially the ones not in English," Robin mused. "Spellbooks?"

"Most," she said, setting her book down again. "Some are history books or lore. Some of them are from other planets or dimensions, but almost all of them are from Azarath."

Robin nodded. He shuffled over to a row that had mostly English titles. He saw some eclectic ones he didn't recognize but sounded interesting. The other ones on the shelf he was familiar with. He noted a couple things, including Harry Potter, some Neil Gaiman and Edgar Allen Poe works, Stephen King, and many others. Then, he came across a book titled The Lightning Thief and picked it up with a smirk.

"Never would've pictured you as Percy Jackson fan," he said.

"The humor in the first series is what drew me in," Raven said.

"I don't doubt that," he chuckled. "I started reading the copy I had. It was the first book I'd read in a long time since I'm almost always busy with other things. I only got through the first couple chapters. It got ruined when Beast Boy flooded the hallway trying to make an indoor slip 'n slide."

She nodded at the book. "Borrow that one. I've read it a million times. It's worth it."

Robin's smirk widened. "Letting someone in your room? Lending said someone one of your books? Who are you and what have you done with Raven?"

"Hilarious," she muttered, grinning as well.

"Seriously, though," he chuckled. "You sure?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I trust you. And…consider it as way of saying 'thank you'."

Robin's brows scrunched. "For what?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Playing dumb doesn't suit you."

He shook his head slowly. "Raven…Everything that happened to today was because of you. You protected us with your powers when you weren't there. And when you were there, you stopped Trigon. We should be thanking you, not the other way around." He paused. "That reminds me. Cyborg wants to have a celebratory breakfast in the morning."

Raven's face was set in a grimace. "You all worked so hard trying to help me. All of you were trying to defeat him every chance you got. I only came in at the end. I caused Trigon."

"No, you didn't," he said firmly. With the book still in hand, he walked over and sat next to her on the bed. "You had no control over anything. Trigon was going to happen whether we liked it or not."

She looked away from him, squeezing her eyes shut. "No control," she muttered, clenching her fists.

"And then you regained it," Robin said, craning his neck to look at her face. "You found a way to control the fight. To control your destiny. You stopped him."

She relaxed her face a little. When she opened her eyes, she saw him, inches from her face and smiling.

"You saved us," he murmured. "Thank you."

Raven almost looked away again, not believing for a second that she deserved it. But Robin's conviction stopped her, to a point where she couldn't look away from his face, from his warm smile. Not knowing how to respond – a 'you're welcome' would've only sounded curt – she simply sighed and nodded.

"And I'll gladly borrow this," Robin brandished the book. "But only if you want me to. Not because of some obligation you feel."

She nodded again. "It wasn't just an obligation. I really do trust you."

"I trust you, too," he said, crossing his legs on the comforter and opening the book. "Always have, always will."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, trying to gauge her. For many seconds, she sat upright, shoulders hunched and expression contemplative. Then, she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. When she opened her eyes, she pushed herself backwards until her back met the pillow again. Silently, she opened her book and continued reading.

Robin finally took his attention away from her to focus on his own book. It would take time for Raven to start feeling normal again, though he wished he could be of more comfort. Still, his words did seem to get through to her. Perhaps that was enough for now.

It should've startled him how easy it was to sit next to her on her bed, in her room, reading one of her books. It should've startled him how natural this whole situation felt. Instead of dissecting it like a detective, he relaxed into it. He was right when he said he was too tired to over-think anything tonight, and it that moment he was all too happy about that.

For what felt like hours, Robin and Raven sat on her bed, reading from their respective books. He was in the middle of the 'capture the flag' chapter when his eyes started drooping. He was yawning by the time the chapter was finished. He tried to keep reading, wanting the peaceful atmosphere to last as long possible.

"You know," Raven sighed. "Yawning is normally a sure-fire sign that someone needs sleep." She set her book aside. "Maybe you ought to go and get some rest."

Memorizing what page he was on, he closed the book and stretched his arms above his head with a groan. "Kicking me out already," he asked with a smirk.

"Not intentionally," she said. "But I need sleep, too. Especially if Cyborg really does wanna make a whole production out of breakfast."

"I guess you're right." He stood up, book in hand. 

"Did you ever figure out why you couldn't get to sleep tonight?"

Robin shook his head. "No…But I'm glad it resulted in us hanging out," he smiled. "What about you?" The question escaped before he could stop it.

Raven's relaxed expression was gone, replaced by something more neutral. "I'd rather not talk about it. It's not even important." Robin opened his mouth to say he doubted that was the case, but Raven continued. "But I'm glad, as well," she said quietly, now smiling also.

Robin looked at the book in his hand, and then at her again. "Goodnight, Raven," he said as he walked out.

"Goodnight, Robin," she said as the door closed behind.

They both went to sleep that night. This time, neither of them struggled to rest, both feeling perfectly content.

When morning came, Raven awoke with a yawn and a stretch. She put on her cloak and walked towards her door, ready to endure Cyborg's usual I'm-a-morning-person-and-I'm-obsessed-with-breakfast routine. She knew breakfast was going to be even more energized given that they wanted to celebrate the world being saved. She was more than ready, and she could possibly be persuaded into admitting she was looking forward to it.

She had yet to leave her doorway.

Sitting in the hallway in front of her door was a white candle. She stared at it for a long second, unsure if she somehow managed to conjure a new candle in her sleep. Tilting her head confusedly, she picked it up. It was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand. When it was up close, she recognized it as one of the candles they kept with their emergency supplies, in case of a power outage. A folded piece of paper was taped to its lid. She removed it and opened it.

_I walked passed one of our emergency supply closets on my way back to my room last night. I remembered we had these. Obviously, it can't replace the one, and it may not even be useful to you. Just thought you could have it until you get a new one, in case you need it._  
~Robin  
Oh, and thanks for letting me borrow the book. 

Raven stared at the note, and then at the candle. Of course, even sleep-deprived he was observant enough to notice the broken candle in the trash bin. But she certainly wasn't expecting this. Candle and note in hand, she went back in her room.

After a few seconds, she left for breakfast.

Raven usually kept all her candles on her vanity, shelves, and in her storage trunk. This particular candle took up permanent residence on her nightstand, with Robin's note folded neatly and placed beneath it.


	2. Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It should be clear that my knowledge of volleyball is limited. I apologize if I got something wrong in this.
> 
> Just a reminder, I do something called one-word one-shots. Meaning, if you give me a single word, I'll turn it into a one-shot.
> 
> **Requested by** : M

Raven didn't care much for sports. She occasionally noticed practicality in it, viewing it as different forms of exercise. However, she rarely partook, opting to do mental exercises such as chess, meditation or reading instead. She also didn't have a competitive side to begin with, and she was all too happy about that fact.

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. Cyborg and Beast Boy's playful banter had now turned into arguing.

"Dude, I still don't get it," Beast Boy griped from his side of the court.

Cyborg rubbed his hands down his face. "The point system in volleyball is the simplest point system on Earth," he grumbled into his palms. "How do you not get it?"

"Because," Beast Boy hollered, putting his hands on his hips. "I spiked the ball. That gets me, like, a bajillion points in volleyball."

"No, it doesn't," Cyborg exclaimed. "It gets you one point, that is if you don't touch the net. And you touched the net!"

"So? The points I got from that spike should totally make up for it!"

"Man, are you even listening? One point, that's all you get! You touch the net? No points!"

"No points?! How is that even possible?!" Beast Boy whipped his gaze to Raven. "Come on, Rae, that was so a point! I sp won the game!"

Raven's eyes were closed, and she was still pinching the bridge of her nose. "Cyborg has the most sports experience out of all of us," she grumbled. "If you have no points…then you have no points."

"Ha!" Cyborg pointed childishly at Beast Boy.

"No, that's not fair," he whined, shaking his head. "He could just be saying that to win the game."

"Hey," Cyborg exclaimed, offended. "Since when do I cheat?"

Raven opened her eyes and rested her chin in her hands. "Cyborg's never cheated any game you've played."

"He could just be saying that," Beast Boy crossed his arms, squinting his eyes dramatically at Cyborg. "For example, I used to be the king of video games. Then, as soon as I started playing with you, I stunk! It was like I didn't even have opposable thumbs anymore. How do you beat me every time?!"

Cyborg threw his hands up in the air. "You don't even _have_ opposable thumbs half the time!"

This made Beast Boy stomp over to him, or as close as he could get with the net in the way. Raven shook her head slowly, thoroughly exasperated. The volleyball match had now turned into a shouting a match. She debated on whether to break it up or not, but decided the net in between them was doing a decent enough job for the time being.

At some point, Beast Boy shouted, "Raven, you're the referee! Do some refereeing!"

"And spoil my entertainment," she asked, deadpanned.

"Since when do you find shouting and arguing to be entertaining," came Robin's voice. Raven looked to see him closing the door behind him. He watched Beast Boy and Cyborg's antics for a few seconds. Then, he shook his head and went to sit on the edge of the roof next to Raven.

"Sarcasm," she replied.

"I picked up on that," he said with a smirk.

"And there really is nothing else to do," she said. "Now that I'm clearly not involved anymore."

Be it stankball, video games, card games, board games, or sports, it was normal for the Titans to ask Raven to referee. Her unbiased opinions made for efficient game play. She didn't mind it as much as she used to, especially given the strategic calls she'd sometimes have to make. Her friends would do all of the in-game work, and she would make sure it ended fairly.

She also knew when the game itself was a lost cause.

Cyborg and Beast Boy argued and argued with no end in sight.

There was no helping this. They would just have to get it out of their systems.

"Glorious," Starfire said gleefully as she flew onto the court. "Another game of volleying the ball!"

"Until he learns the basic rules, there will be no volleying!" Cyborg shouted.

"Great," Raven muttered. Now Starfire had joined in, getting in between them and trying to play peacemaker. Raven lifted her hand, ready to use a harmless shield to separate all three of them. She could even make the shield soundproof to drown out their relentless yelling. "Sometimes I feel like a babysitter."

"I'm the leader," Robin chuckled. "How do you think I feel sometimes?"

She lowered her hand. "That's correct." She nodded to their teammates. "So do your job, leader."

He straightened his legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. "Nah, you're right. Not much else to do right now. We'll keep an eye on 'em to make sure it doesn't get out of hand."

They watched the bickering continue on. At some point while Starfire was trying to get them to calm down, her foot accidentally tapped the volleyball. It rolled, and then it jolted up and over the edge of the roof.

Raven sighed and stood up. " _You'll_ make sure it doesn't get out of hand. I have to go make sure we don't lose the ball...again."

"Again," Robin asked.

She nodded. "Beast Boy's been working on his trick shots. And by trick, I mean a disappearing act. He flails his arms like a nutcase and flings the ball with no sense of direction."

Robin chuckled.

She pointed in the direction of where the ball fell. "If we lose that one, it'll be the third one this month."

On that note, she levitated over the edge of the roof and slowly floated down, in no rush whatsoever. As she landed on the shore, she looked around for the ball. The evening light casted dark shadows over the many rocks and boulders, making it easy for the ball to hide. She turned over a couple rocks, but so far found nothing.

She took one last glance around the area. That's when her eyes caught the movement of a white speck floating on the water. The warm red sky reflected off the surface of the bay, making the volleyball stand out as it bobbed up and down.

She headed in the direction of the shoreline. Calmly and without pausing, she created two platforms upon approaching the water, and walked towards the ball. The platforms took turns disappearing and reappearing beneath her feet as she went. She could've just as easily flown, the wind that surrounded her when she flew was always invigorating. However, the breeze that currently swept over the water, brushing at her hair and cloak as she walked, was quiet and serene. It simply felt nice and she was enjoying the moment of peace.

When she stopped, she pushed her cloak out of the way some, wanting to get as least wet as possible. She knelt down. Plucking the ball out of the water, she gave it a jostle to shake off the remaining moisture. As she headed back to the shore, she noticed a familiar shape lounging on the shoreline.

"You left them to fend for themselves," Raven asked as she approached Robin, who was sitting by the water's edge. She tossed the ball to him.

"Kinda," he said as he caught it. "They stopped arguing over volleyball and agreed they needed to settle it like men." He began idly bouncing the ball up and down on his fist. "They're inside right now having a pie eating contest. But there's a catch…They have to use the ones that Starfire was making before she joined all of us on the roof."

Raven grimaced and shivered dramatically. "Ugh. Do they want an early funeral?"

He smirked. "Oh, that's the challenging part, to see how long they can hold out. Cyborg and Beast Boy get to be competitive, and Starfire's happy that her cooking is being involved for once. Everybody wins." He bounced the ball higher, sending it in Raven's direction, which she expertly caught. "Bounce it back," he encouraged.

She tucked the ball under her arm. "I observe everyone's competitive habits. I don't contribute to them."

He snorted.

"I have to take this back up to the court before we lose it again. You coming inside?"

He shook his head. "I think I'm gonna stay out here a little while longer. The sunset's nice today."

"I thought you were all about sunrises," Raven asked with a hint of her usual sarcasm.

"Sunsets are okay," he shrugged. "The day is over and it's okay to relax. At least that's what it feels like, and it's always a great feeling." He looked away from the sun to smile up at her. "But I still prefer sunrises. Something about them always seems…brighter."

Perhaps it was the way he was smiling at her, or the way he said that last word. Either way, for some reason she couldn't help but glance away from, hiding a small smile as well as the warmth that spread over her cheeks.

"Yeah," she muttered as she tried to make herself look casual by staring at a random spot on the tower. "Brighter." Eventually, her gaze drifted to the window of their living room, where the pie eating contest had more than likely commenced. She gave a longsuffering sigh as she finally looked at Robin.

"I have to go put this ball back," she said. "And they're more than likely going to want me to referee the contest."

"They didn't say anything about you on their way downstairs," Robin said. "I think you're off the hook for this one." He paused. "It's nice to see how involved you are with their games. I mean, after that whole stankball thing, you've always been involved to some degree. But now so more than ever it looks like. I know they really appreciate it."

"I just appreciate the fact that they've stopped trying to force me to be involved," she said. She scowled slightly at herself. "It…took me a long time to _want_ to be involved, I know."

"And it took them a long time to realize that you do things on your own terms, and that you'll be as involved as you wanna be," he added. "All three of them don't exactly have the most patience. Cyborg maybe, but even he's fast-paced at times."

Raven nodded. Then, a thought came to mind. "How come you've always understood it?…Me?"

Robin, who had been leaning back on his elbows, pushed forward a little to sit up straighter. "Um," he started, almost looking a bit flustered. "Well… I had been doing hero work on my own for a while. I was just getting used to it. Then I met you guys. I think I understood you right off the bat because…I knew what it was like to be alone and to enjoy it. Being alone means you do things differently as opposed to how you do things with people around. There's a sense of freedom with that, and it's jarring when people try to mess with it. That's why I was so set on going at it alone and…" He trailed off, rubbing a hand down his face.

When he looked at Raven again, it was with a shy half-smile. "None of that really makes sense, though."

Raven smiled back. She sat down next to him, and looked in the direction of the setting sun. "It does to me," she murmured.

Robin looked at her, and then at the sunset. "Not going to watch the contest," he asked.

She shook her head. "They have this one handled." She fidgeted with the ball. "Besides, I finally found something better to do." She smiled at him briefly before returning her attention back to the sunset.

They watched as the sun slowly sank below the horizon. When stars began dotting the darkening sky, Robin sighed.

"We should probably make sure that ball gets back to the roof," he said, but neither of them made a move to get up. "And to make sure the kitchen hasn't been destroyed. Knowing them, they probably didn't stop at just pie eating."

"Hmm," Raven hummed. "Probably."

Robin just barely caught the ball as Raven bumped it towards him with her fist. Robin stared at the volleyball in his lap, and then at Raven. She didn't acknowledge him, just continued to look peacefully at the sky.

Robin chuckled lightly. He started spinning the ball on his finger as he also focused on the sky. It was now completely dark out, the moon reflecting brightly off the surface of the bay. 

They both still preferred sunrises, but sunsets were nice as well.


End file.
